


Infinite Love

by firerwolf



Series: Spartan Love [4]
Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2018-07-26 03:41:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7558738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firerwolf/pseuds/firerwolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of stories about Commander Sarah Palmer and Captain Thomas Lasky.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Lasky stood in his personal quarters, feeling a bit uneasy. This would be his first mission commanding Infinity and he was nervous. He stood before his bedside table, holding a picture frame and trying to decide if it was all right to put the picture up. It felt odd to be decorating the Captain quarters with his own things. It felt odd to even be called a Captain. All of it had happened so fast it felt like a dream.

The door to his room opened and he started to wonder if this really was a dream. Standing in his doorway was Commander Palmer, though she was out of her armor. Rather than the familiar white armor she had on a white tank top and a pair of baggy fatigue pants. Palmer shut the door behind her.

"Hey, Tom. How are you doing?" Palmer asked. "Crews prepping the ship, the AI has been installed, and the Spartans are arriving. Anything I can do for you?"

Lasky tried to think of anything that she could do to help prepare the ship. "I think everything is set," he finally decided. "How's the AI."

"It's all right. Seems like it's eager but will be happy and functioning." Palmer moved into the room and Lasky watched her sit down on his bed. "You seem a bit nervous, Tom. Maybe I could help you ease your nerves." She smirked at him and her tone was suggestive.

Lasky looked down at her as he realized what she was offering. "I was wondering why you were out of your armor." He sat down on the bed beside her and let out a sigh. "I am nervous. I mean this is Infinity. This is the biggest ship in the fleet and our flagship. It's a big responsibility."

"Yeah it is, and you can handle it," Palmer assured him. "You're a fine Captain and you have the trust of the crew after Requiem. Oh, and did I mention how sexy it is that you're a Captain?"

Lasky raised an eyebrow at her. "You find power attractive? As a woman in power I would think that wouldn't matter to you." Lasky reached over and put his hand on her thigh. He had learned when he'd first started his relationship with Palmer that her physical contact had to be limited. Lasky usually had to be the one that did all of the work but it was more for safety reasons. Palmer was unnaturally strong and Lasky had ended up bruised by her on accident when they'd been intimate.

"I find it attractive on you," Palmer clarified. "You're a man with power that earned it, and every time I think about how you gained command of the ship I feel proud and it makes me want to do very dirty things to you." Palmer grinned and leaned toward him. "You shouldn't be nervous at all. You're a great leader, Tom, and you'll do great. Besides, it's not like this mission is harder than your first one as Captain."

"This is my first mission," Lasky corrected.

"Not really. Your first mission was backing up the Master Chief. You did a great job there and it's how you got the trust of the crew. I don't know why you seem to doubt yourself. I know that when things become tough you can be strong but you shouldn't have and doubt in you. Get out of your head and just trust yourself."

Lasky sighed and shook his head. "A lot is on the shoulders of a leader. Sometime I wish I could lead like you. You're confident, strong, though sometimes a bit cold."

"That's the way I have to lead, it doesn't work for a ship. Spartan training, augmentations, and missions are difficult, but it's normal. One team cleaning up the mess if another team would get praise as it saves my ass from having to deal with it being a problem but I have to deal with so many things and it's all reporting to leaders or making notes of what is happening here or there, all paper work. It leaves me in a surly mood and I feel no need to praise soldiers for doing the job I told them to do, that's what I expect. I mean when was the last time I actually got on the ground for a real combat fight?"

Lasky considered the question. "On Requiem when we found the Master Chief," he finally answered. "Though really you didn't do much direct fighting. He took care if most of it."

"Exactly, I feel like I'm not doing my part. You direct the ships, that's what you've always done and it's your skill. Ground fighting is my skill but how much of this fight ahead will keep me on this ship? I have to coordinate all of the Spartans so I can't fight on the ground but I miss it. I miss the feel of a grunt's head being crushed in my hand or the cry of an elite dying." Palmer sighed and flopped back on the bed.

"I suppose then I shouldn't tell you I'm happy with you safe on the ship where for once I'm able to protect you by commanding properly." Lasky lay down as well beside her. "You know if something goes wrong you'll still have me you can protect with violence against others."

Palmer smiled at him. "Smart man to keep your mouth shut, though you're wrong about the other part. I won't need to protect you because you'll command the ship perfectly and an enemy won't be able to get anywhere near you."

Lasky sat up and smiled down at her. "Why can't you be supportive like that to your Spartans?" He held up his hand to keep her from actually answering. "Rhetorical question. I know that's just not who you are. You expect the best from people, that the Spartans do their job, and that things get done in a timely manner." He grabbed the picture frame from where he'd dropped it on the bed and put it in the bedside table.

Palmer sat up and stared at the picture in the frame. "Is that from that festival? That was the worse one of the set."

Lasky smiled at her. "I think it was the best. Your smile is so beautiful in it." Lasky stared at the picture. They'd used a photo booth at a festival about a year ago and Lasky had chosen the picture because it was the two of them smiling at each other. "Though it's not the only photo I have on this frame." He hit a button and the picture started to periodically change. There was a picture of them together in a park, Palmer in her uniform, her in her armor, a picture of Palmer shouting and trying to cover herself up with a towel, and a picture of the two of them kissing.

Palmer leaned toward him and carefully draped her arms over his shoulders. "Nice selection but it's a little woman heavy. I'd rather see more of that man."

Lasky smiled and turned toward her. "I would but she just isn't willing to pose with him." He felt a moment of panic as she pushed him down onto the bed. It wasn't super forceful by her standards but it was still forceful enough that Lasky was sure if they'd been on a harder surface he'd have a head ache.

"She still isn't happy about you sneaking in on her when she's showering." Palmer lay on him, going a bit limp. "You know I hate when you are afraid of me."

"I know, and it's only momentary then I remember it's you and it goes away. It's just, you have the strength of fifty bears but you're..." His hands moved over her side. "You're so beautiful."

Palmer sat up a bit and smiled down at him. "You seem to have relaxed. Seems I was able to relive that tension, though not how I intended."

Lasky sat up and Palmer let him guide her so their positions were switched. "I think I still have a bit of tension." His hand moved to her neck and pulled her to him for a gentle kiss. He pulled away and sat up. Palmer sat up as well and set her hands behind her to hold herself up. Lasky reached up, removing her hair tie and letting her hair fall loose. "Always preferred you with your hair down," Lasky remarked.

"I'd leave it that way all the time but it gets too messy in the helmet." Palmer ran her hand over his neck though the most she could do was simply place her hand on his skin, any more force could hurt him. "So you doing to just talk all day or you going to screw me?"

"Don't be so quick, Sarah. This is our first time in the Captain's quarters of the UNSC's largest ship. Saver the occasion," Lasky smiled at her before slipping his fingers into her hair. "I love you, Sarah."

"Yeah, yeah, you love me and I love you. Don't we say it enough we can just assume?" Palmer pulled him down toward her and brought their lips together. She released him when he tried to pull away. "Too rough?"

Lasky rubbed a hand over his neck where she'd grabbed him. "A bit," he admitted. "We can't leave marks where people will see. More people will be looking at me now." Lasky slid his other hand into her hair to join the first and closing the gap between them again, kissing her more deeply than before as he pushed her back onto the bed.


	2. Augmented

Palmer stared out the window of the apartment, staring down at the street below. She'd never realized how much damage there had been done to the street, or maybe she'd never been able to see it before. It was odd to see the world this way, so much clearer and detailed. The sun seemed so bright and she could see the birds clearly as if they were only feet away even though they were fluttering around half way down the street. When she'd woken after the augmentations she remembered staring up at the ceiling and being able to see everything so clearly. Even things as simple as a leaf looked so different to her now. It was like seeing a whole new world and she didn't know how much she liked it. She was sure she'd eventually get used to it but for now it annoyed her.

She turned away from the window and examined the room around her. Like the world outside this place felt different, and she hated it. This was her home, she should feel at ease, but it felt like she wasn't even in her own room. The walls that she'd once seen as just white were now clearly tinted with just a bit of blue. She could see the woven fibers that made up the sheets of the queen size bed. She moved over and her hand gently touched the sheets. They felt the same as always so at least she didn't have to worry about that but it was odd to see it look like it should be rough but be soft under her touch. She made a note to see if she could find something that looked softer.

Sarah moved across the room to the mirror and looked at her own reflection. She frowned at the woman staring back at her. She felt like she looked years older than she was, the fatigue of the war having left signs she hadn't been able to see before the augmentations. There were wrinkles on the corners of her eyes and her skin looked dull to her. She reached up and felt her cheek but it just felt like skin. She sighed and turned away from the tired, sad woman in the mirror. She moved over to the bed again and sat down, looking over the room.

_"You'll get used to it eventually," the medic said as he checked Sarah's eyes. "Eventually you won't remember what it was like not to see the world clearly." The man switched off his light and nodded. "Everything looks good, just tell us if anything odd happens with your vision or if they start bleeding at night and don't stop."_

Sarah had been annoyed by the man's words. It wasn't like he had to live with seeing the world like this. He didn't have to deal with seeing every movement or with the sudden increase in strength that caused them to break things and risked hurting people on accident. He didn't have to go home and worry that the first time he touched his lover he'd cause them pain. Sarah let out a long breath and lay back on the bed. She shut her eyes and just focused on how the sheets under her still felt comfortable. If she didn't look she felt like she was at home, the way it was before the augmentations.

_"The UNSC is now your family," the Admiral said as he paced before the recently augmented soldiers. "You are now Spartans, one with the UNSC. Even when you leave service you will still be a part if the UNSC." The Admiral looked them all over as though inspecting cattle, preparing for slaughter. "You may have a shelter off base but the barracks or she ship you are stationed on will become your home. The Spartans beside you are your siblings."_

Sarah didn't really buy into any of that. The UNSC had spent a lot of their recovery beating loyalty into their heads, reminding them that they'd never really get away from the UNSC ever again. A few of the others had even suggested that they were training them to be unquestioningly loyal in their sleep. Sarah wasn't sure if she really believed that but she didn't think she felt more loyal to the UNSC than before. She knew where her loyalties lay and she still had her suspicions of ONI. It was possible what they had done just hadn't worked on her but she didn't really have any proof they'd done anything. That didn't mean they hadn't done anything, just that she couldn't prove it.

Sarah heard the steps moving calmly down the hallway outside the apartment. She listened as the steps stopped and could clearly hear the key slide into the lock. From how loud it was she knew it was the door to her apartment and she couldn't help the moment of fear that sparked adrenaline in her system. The key turned in the lock but there was no sound of the tumblers as the door was already unlocked. The person paused for an unusually long time before opening the door. Sarah realized it hadn't been that long, rather things seemed to be moving slowly to her adrenaline heightened system. Sarah sat up and opened her eyes, staring across the room to the doorway. She could hear the person move around the living room and into the small kitchen of the apartment.

Sarah took deep breaths, unable to suppress the nervous fear that was crawling up through her. She hadn't expected to be nervous. Hesitant, yes, but nervous was a surprise. The steps moved from the kitchen and grew closer and closer to the bedroom. Sarah kept herself rooted in place, the fear and nervousness fighting inside her for dominance. Sarah watched as the door opened painfully slowly as the person entered.

Sarah watched as he entered the room and could see each little show of his emotions in slow motion. He entered, his face covered in signs of his own hesitation. There was a downturn to his mouth, a scared look in his eyes, but his eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as though preparing himself for bad news. She watched as he saw her and took in the sight, searching for anything that might be wrong. When he found nothing wrong she watched as his features changed. His mouth turned up as he started to smile, his brow relaxed, and a light of relief spread through his gaze. Sarah watched him as he moved across the room, noting the energy that there was in his steps as he crossed the room.

He stopped a few feet away and Sarah watched him for any signs of his thoughts. She had never realized how expressive his face was. The way his eyebrows moved, his eyes widening or narrowing, and the little movements of his mouth all gave Sarah a new set of signal she'd need to learn. His face was also younger than she had expected. Unlike her own that looked older with her new sight he seemed so young for his age. Dispute everything he'd been through he somehow still looked hopeful. It was a trait that Sarah had lost some time ago, accepting that things were only going to get worse over time.

He sat down on the bed beside her and Sarah just watched as his eyes darted over her for a few seconds before his gaze met hers. They sat in silence, Sarah not willing to speak first. She found herself hating the lower tones of her voice and even though she knew he wouldn't hear a difference in her voice she still felt awkward about speaking. His hand rose and she felt him touch her cheek. He frowned a bit and signs of confusion settled on his features. He scanned her face and frowned. "Did the augmentations take?" Sarah was fascinated to find that his voice seemed to be the perfect blend of deep male and higher tones that made him seem none threatening.

Sarah frowned as well, not understanding the question. Why would he think that she hadn't been augmented? "Yes," she answered. She flinched a bit at hearing her own voice but he showed no sign of noticing it. "Why is something wrong?"

Tom shook his head. "No, you just...you don't look and different." His hand dropped from her cheek. "I just can't see a difference. You're still the same Sarah. Unless whatever's changed is just under your clothing." His hand moved to her knee and she watched a smile slip easily onto his features. Dispute the smile she could tell something was wrong. Not only in the fact that he was propositioning her so quickly but also the slight drop of his eyelids and the fact that his smile didn't seem to stretch all the way.

"Why are you using sex to divert me from noticing your nervous?" She scowled at him and the look of surprise he tried to hide behind a smile. "Why are you worried at all?"

Tom looked away from her and toward the carpet. Realizing that he wasn't fooling her he let the smile slip more from his face. "Half the first class of Spartans died when they were augmented." Sarah tensed at the mention of the Spartan II. After their augmentations the new Spartan IV had been given a lesson on the history of the Spartan II.

_The Lieutenant stood at the front of the room, looking over the assembled Spartans. The section three patch on his shoulder made Sarah weary of exactly what he was going to be telling them. ONI never brought good news in her experience. "Today, Spartans, today we'll be learning about the Spartan II program." The man looked them over, watching their reactions._

_"The Spartan II and III program are admirably dark marks on the history of the UNSC. The Spartan II project was conceived and directed by Doctor Catherine Halsey. The project consisted of kidnapping six-year-old children and training them to become soldiers with a harsh training regimen. When the soldiers were fourteen Doctor Halsey pushed the augmentations forward. The proper research hadn't been done and the augmentations were not as safe as the ones that you have gone through. Half the Spartan IIs died due to complications from the augmentations."_

_The man turned his attention to the basic prototype armor that the Spartan IV would wear. "Their training was expensive, their armor expensive, and they were not invincible. By the end of the war there were only three left alive, contrary to the public policy of listing them as missing. Still we needed more Spartans, which caused the Spartan III project to be started. This housed a wider variety of children, all from glassed colonies who volunteered for revenge or whatever personal reason. Their augmentations were less risky, no casualties, and are what your augmentations were built off of. Sadly following in the legacy of the Spartan II project the Spartan III were put through hard training and due to dwindling funds their armor was not nearly as good. They were used for hard missions, suicidal missions, but some of you are already familiar with those." Sarah knew he was talking to the ODSTs turned Spartans. They'd all been on suicide missions at some point. "Today there are only five Spartan III alive, even though there were hundreds." That was news that surprised Sarah. There had been hundreds if these children taken and only five were alive?_

_"The UNSC is now reforming the Spartan program. That is where you all come in. Those responsible have been brought to justice except for its mastermind. Doctor Halsey died on Reach and never saw a court to pay for her crimes." The man relaxed and smiled. "You are how the project always should have been. Voluntary adults, safe procedures, and proper training. I congratulate you all on becoming the Spartans that always should have been."_

_The man left the room but Sarah hadn't moved. She was still thinking of those two figures, floating in the tanks. She could seed the dark liquid being mixed in as the toxin was released, knowing that she had killed them. She wondered if she'd let them live if they would have been counted as living Spartans or had they already been dead._

Hands cupped Sarah's cheeks and Tom leaned in. "Sarah, are you all right?" She could see the concern on his face, a sort of fear she'd never seen from him before, even when she was injured in combat.

Sarah frowned at him. "Tom, I only spaced out. Calm down." She pulled back enough so that he dropped his hands. "There's nothing to worry about."

"Sorry," Tom said, placing his hand again on her leg. "I don't know much about these augmentations and I can't help but worry about you." Sarah relaxed, understanding that he really couldn't help it. Tom was a gentle and loving man so he was empathetic and was not very good at hiding his concern. She waited for him to make a move, kiss her, but her, or even just shake her hand but he didn't do any of those. She wanted some sort of contact but her fear of harming him kept her hands folded on her lap. Tom stood up and she felt a disappointment as she realized he wasn't going to do anything. She almost wished she hadn't pointed out his earlier worry if only for the physical contact.

Tom stopped at the doorway and looked back at her. She could see the nervous look on his face for a second before he tried to hide it. "I'm going to make dinner." He moved out of the room and left Sarah in silence. She didn't know quite what to make of what had just happened. With how worried he had been it was odd for him to not show any direct sign of affection. It was odd for his most intimate touch when he was worried to be a hand on her leg.

Sarah stood from the bed and moved out into the living room. Tom was in the kitchen and fully focused on his cooking so Sarah moved to the couch and sat down. She switched on the news and watched the latest report about the rebuilding effort and some reports of military plans. Sarah wasn't really listening to any of it.

_The woman sitting across from Sarah left her feeling like there was a monster hiding in the shadows behind her, waiting to devour her. At that moment Sarah would have given anything to be somewhere else. This was the head of ONI, powerful and ruthless, if the rumors were true. It was said she was hand-picked by the woman before her so Sarah didn't expect her to be any better of a person than the last head of ONI, and Sarah knew all about what that woman was willing to do. There was something in this woman's eyes that hinted she was just as inhuman as her predecessor. This was Serin Osman, and Sarah could tell by looking at her that she was the last woman a person wanted to cross. Most likely if you crossed her it would be the last thing you did._

_Osman looked up from the data she was reading and focused on Sarah. "You have a fine record, Lieutenant Palmer." Sarah didn't know how to reply to that so she remained silent. "Well if you're anything like the ODST I've known I'll just skip beating around the bush. I'm in need of a skilled, *loyal* soldier, and I think you're my best option."_

_Sarah frowned, not understanding what the woman meant. She didn't like the emphases on the word 'loyal' and it left Sarah's skin crawling. When ONI wanted loyalty they meant blind obedience. It wasn't really something Sarah did well but she was able to keep her mouth shut when told to do so._

_"The Spartan IV program is not just a program." Sarah didn't quite understand what she meant. She hadn't been told anything about the program being more. "You are aware if the ship,_ Infinity _? Your partner is stationed on that ship, is he not?"_

_"Yes, ma'am," Sarah answered. Tom had told her about the ship he'd been recently stationed on. He told her that it was like a moving colony it could fit so many people. To Sarah it seemed excessive but Tom was happy to be first officer so she kept her opinion to herself._

_"Soon the Spartan IV numbers will grow much larger as the first groups have all survived perfectly. The UNSC has decided to make a new branch of the military, a Spartan branch." Sarah was surprised by this news. It felt odd that ONI would let their project be its own branch, unless they hadn't had a choice or it was some bigger plan. "Of course we are filling the administrative roles but it means that were going to need people to command the troops."_

_Sarah was getting a picture and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. Osman seemed to be proposing that Sarah lead a team, most likely to do the nasty work of ONI. Sarah was absolutely opposed to being ONI's obedient dog but at the same time she could see positives to such a position. It would be likely that what was ONI's current messes that needed to be cleaned up would be scientists and Sarah couldn't say she didn't feel like every ONI scientist deserved to die and that she wanted to be in charge of killing them. She'd seen enough of the awful things they'd done and knew they should be brought to justice, even if that was a bullet. At least that way they couldn't hurt anyone else._

_Osman continued. "Our plan is to station most of the Spartan IV onto the_ Infinity _." Sarah tried to comprehend that prospect. She'd never before been stationed on the same ship as Tom. She liked the thought of being able to be with him in person while they were deployed. "Though perhaps you would do better on one of our smaller and more specialized ships."_

_So that was the game that Osman was playing. She dangled the chance to be on the same ship as her lover and then threatened to put her on a different ship. Sarah only wondered what the woman wanted in return for being placed on_ Infinity _. "I believe I'd be more comfortable aboard_ Infinity _." Sarah made sure she sat up straight and tried to keep emotion from her voice. She didn't want to give Osman ammunition to hit her with if they were going to negotiate._

_"Of course you would. You've done enough work for ONI to know the kind of work a specialized ship does." Osman relaxed and Sarah knew that the woman had somehow gotten her to walk right onto the big red X. Now Sarah could only wait for Osman to bring the hammer down. "Though I wouldn't want to waste you on a specialized ship either. No, I need you on_ Infinity _."_

_Sarah considered what she might mean by that. Did she want her to be a spy on board_ Infinity _? She didn't think she'd be good at that. Sarah had always been blunt and sneaking around didn't suit her. She could keep secrets but there was a big difference from having your own. Sarah didn't like having secrets that were her own, particularly because she knew she couldn't keep them from Tom._

_"If you can assure me that you are loyal I have a position I think you would be best to full," Osman said._

_"Have I done something to have my loyalty questioned?" Sarah asked. She wasn't sure what she might be asked to do to prove her loyalty._

_"Nothing, Lieutenant. You've kept every little secret that ONI has trusted you with. In fact I'm fairly sure that if I asked you about Darkmont facility you wouldn't even tell me about it."_

_"I don't know of a facility called that," Sarah lied. She was fairly good at lying to those she didn't know._

_"Of course you don't," Osman said with a slight smile. "Then I'd like to make an offer. The Spartan IV will be stationed on_ Infinity _, a lot of them, and they'll need organizing, people to make sure there is order. I would like to give you this job."_

_"I'm not sure I understand, ma'am." Sarah furrowed her brow, trying to understand exactly what the woman meant. Did she want her to decide on people to organize the Spartan IV? She was sure she wasn't the right person for that task._

_"Fine, I'll state it more plainly, though I expected you would be smart enough to understand without it having to be expanded. I want to place you in command of all Spartans IV onboard_ Infinity _," Osman explained._

_The prospect stunned Sarah, not sure what to say in response. She'd never been offered such an important position, having only ever led a squad. There was no telling what good this would do for her career as a soldier and she'd always wanted a chance like this. Not to mention it would give her a place in the important command structure and as long as her gender didn't get her ignored she'd be able to have a say. It meant being able to assert an experienced soldiers view in orders, and allow her to back up Tom if she had to. Still, this was ONI so there had to be a catch. "I'm not an idiot. What do you want in return?"_

_Osman smiled and it actually looked genuine. "Yes, you have had enough contact with us." She stood up and picked up her data pad. "I already told you what I want. I want loyalty. How about you go home and think about it. You can give me your answer tomorrow." Osman moved out of the room and Palmer was left in the room with her thoughts._

"Sarah!" Tom shouted, causing Sarah to look toward him. There was a look of fear mixed with relief on his face and she realized his hand was on her shoulder. "Don't do that," he scolded. "You scared me. I thought something was wrong, you weren't responding."

Sarah frowned, feeling a bit guilty for making him worry. "I just spaced out, no big deal. I've got a lot on my mind." Sarah tried to brush it off so he would let it go. She didn't want to talk about it and it was purely her choice to make. She loved Tom but his opinion didn't come into play as he wouldn't be the one beholden to ONI. In fact she was fairly sure he'd never experienced any of the horror or vengeance of ONI. It was an ugly truth she'd rather keep from him.

The questioning look in Tom's eyes made it clear he wanted to ask what she was thinking about but knew better. "Well I finished dinner," he informed her. "You're still hungry aren't you?"

Sarah nodded and stood up from the couch. She shut off the television and followed Tom to the dining room. She took her seat at the table and looked down at the food. She was surprised as she looked down at her meal. "You made my favorite dish?" She looked over the chicken and cheese rice that was on her plate with a side of green beans.

Sarah looked across the table to Tom who was smiling as he set his napkin on his lap. It was a gentle smile that was just a bit higher on the left than the right, his eyes focused fully on her and holding a hint of triumph. "Welcome home," he said as he picked up his fork and started to eat. Sarah simply smiled and picked up her own fork. They had been eating for a while before Tom spoke up again. "So...what's it like being augmented?"

Sarah wasn't' exactly sure how to answer that. It wasn't really something you could put in words too well. "It's completely different," she finally said. "The world looks different, a lot more detailed. My body moves faster than it used to so we spent some time learning how to move. Had to learn how to not touch things or hold them with too much force." She looked down to the food still on her plate. "You know they talk about the increased strength, reactions, and senses as though they're a high point of the augmentations. They don't at all tell you about how everything that's familiar looks foreign, the fact that you have to constantly be watching how fast you move. They never tell you how dangerous your strength is and that you have to be careful not to hurt the people that you care about on accident."

"Well I'm sure they aren't done teaching you how to adapt. I bet they'll have you guys training for some time. Should at least keep you busy while I'm away." Sarah looked up from her food and narrowed her gaze. Tom's gaze looked down to his food and she could see that he was trying to avoid looking at her. "Well _Infinity_ is apparently getting a bunch of new soldiers and they want all staff stationed on board and staying on board. I think they're going to do some tests of the engines and slip space abilities." He stabbed a bit at what chicken was left on his plate. "I know that we really didn't get a chance but at least we have tonight." His voice was quiet and hesitant, regretful.

Sarah turned back to her food and started eating again. "Don't worry about it, Tom. We'll both be busy." She kept her eyes on her food to be sure that she didn't give him any hint that she was thinking. She'd made up her mind, even if it meant being in debit to ONI she didn't want to be away from Tom any more. After years of having been assigned to separate ships she couldn't pass up the chance to be on the same ship as him.

They finished their meal in an uneasy silence. She knew that he was still feeling bad about them being separated and Sarah was still thinking about what ONI would expect from her. When they finished Sarah moved to take her plate to the sink but Tom stopped her. He stood up and took her hand in his. "Tom?" She watched him as he tugged slightly on her hand and she stood up.

"The dishes can wait," he said as he moved a bit closer to her, his hand releasing hers and moving to her side. "For now, let's just enjoy tonight." His brought their lips together and Sarah hesitated, more afraid that if she returned it she'd use too much force and hurt him. Tom pulled back and looked at her, confused. "Is something wrong?"

Sarah reached out and set her hand on Tom's chest. "I don't want to hurt you," she admitted. "Tom, I could kill you on accident."

Tom smiled and kissed her once more. "I'm not worried about that." Sarah tried to object but Tom stopped her. "I know you'd never hurt me, Sarah. You should have more faith in yourself." He took a step back and took her hand once more. "We'll make it work, somehow." He led her toward the bedroom and Sarah followed him. Something in the way he said it made her confident that somehow they would figure it out.


	3. Shadows of the past

Sarah moved down the hallway of the laboratory. She stared down her gun as she moved along the passage, keeping an eye open for any shimmers of elites. She stopped as she reached a doorway and turned toward it. One of her squad mates moved to the controls. This was standards procedure and Sarah had done it so many times in the past. One watches through the door the other opened the door.

Sarah had been a part of this squad for years, been in dozens of laboratories just like this one, all for the same reason. To do what some scientist failed to do in his cowardice: enact Cole Protocol. Sometimes the egg heads, as Bradly called them, were too squeamish about destroying their own work. That was where Sarah and her squad mates came in. Their official name was Bravo squad but Jeffers had dubbed them the Cleaners, as they cleaned up ONI's messes. It was an honest name. In her time on the squad Sarah had seen some of the most appalling things in her life. Genetic mutations, people who had been burned horribly by plasma on purpose to try to perfect healing the burns, and a few deformed animals from some sort or experiment. Every one they had deleted the data, killed the still living test subjects, and burned the evidence to keep the Covenant from getting anything.

"You know you look damn sexy when you're about to clear a room," a soldier to Sarah's right spoke up.

"Shut it, Bradly. I'm still mad about you forgetting our anniversary so no sweet talk is going to get you any of this." Sarah didn't look toward the man, still focused down the sights of her weapon.

"What did I say about that?" The woman at the controls asked. "I don't want to hear it in the field. I can't exactly put in headphones and intones you two." Marin shook her head but continued to work on the controls.

"Aw, you're using my last name," Bradly groaned. "I didn't think you were that mad at me. Come on Sarah, I just forgot what day it was." Sarah glanced over toward him. His back was to her, watching down the hallway. "I promise when this is all over I'll take you somewhere nice and we'll have a romantic night."

"Do that and then we'll see if you earn back your first name." Sarah turned her gaze back toward the door. '"What's taking so long?"

"Oh nothing, just a way convoluted lock, and the sole opera that is you two's relationship. Whatever's behind this door must be what we're looking for. You don't use this many locks for a supply closet." Sarah agreed. In the past they'd always found the door with the most advanced lock was what they were searching for. "There, got it."

Sarah tightened her grip on her assault rifle and focused fully on the door. The metal slid open and Sarah tensed, ready for a fight. There was nothing and no one. She moved into the room and looked around, finding it to be nothing other than a wide open room. The only thing of note were two tanks on the other side of the wall.

Sarah lowered her gun as she stared at the objects inside of the tanks. "Sarah, is it clear?" Bradly asked.

"Yeah," Sarah replied, moving across the room. Her mind didn't make sense of what she was seeing, or didn't want to. The things looked like they were flesh, but that didn't seem possible. It looked to Sarah like someone had made a clay human and then just twisted and bent it until it wasn't recognizable. As she moved closer she could see that they were people, just mangled and distorted. She felt nautilus for a moment, but it passed. She'd seen some of the horrible things ONI did but this was beyond any of it. These humans looked as though their bones had children's, distorted, and their bodies had stretched and twisted to fit the new misshapen bones.

"What kind of Hell is this?" Bradly asked, moving to stand beside Sarah. There was a look of horror oh his face. Sarah was sure that her expression wasn't much different. "This is...this is inhumane."

"Who are they?" Marin asked. She moved forward to a terminal between the tanks and got to work.

"Does it matter? We have to kill them. They're obviously why we're here." Bradly sounded bitter about the task. He'd never had a problem before. Even with the burn victims they always looked at it as putting people out of the misery ONI put them in. Sarah viewed these 'people' like any of the others. They were in a bad condition and death would be the only way to free them from the living Hell ONI had put them in.

"What the...?" Marin took a step back from the terminal. She looked up at the tanks, her mouth hanging open. "That can't be."

"What can't be?" Bradly moved up to the terminal and stared at the screen. "It must be...it has to be like a code or something to hide where they came from. There's no way they're really..."

Sarah scowled and moved over to join him. She read the text above the read outs. She furrowed her brow, retreading the words several times. "Does that say these are," Sarah looked toward the figures in the tanks. "Spartans?" She couldn't believe these rue hid forms were Spartans. She'd seen a Spartan before, they were tall, strong, and weren't deformed like this.

"I have to say, I'm curious," Marin spoke up. "Are these really Spartans? I thought they were walking tanks. What's different about these ones from the ones you see in the vids?"

"It doesn't matter," Bradly cut in. "We have to kill them and knowing their life story won't help us do it any better. I'm going to shut the tanks down. Or maybe I can find a fail-safe that will do something." Bradly started to work on the terminal, searching through the system. Sarah moved to stand before one of the tanks. Her hand moved out and touched the glass. "Don't get attached," Bradly warned.

"I'm not," Sarah assured him. "I'm just looking at them. I mean, what would it be like to be disfigured like that, stuck in a tank, just floating? Why did they keep them alive?"

"Sarah," Bradly's tone was warning. "They have to die. Whatever they're feeling it will be over soon. I got something." He hunched over the terminal a bit more. "Knew it. ONI put in something invade they needed to be disposed of quickly. There's some sort of toxin I can release into the tank that will do the job."

"Bradly, I think we should reconsider," Marin spoke up. "I mean these are Spartans and we're about to kill them. Should we really be doing this?"

"This is no different than any other mission, Marin. Don't lose your will now. The mission must be completed. Hesitating like this will only cause us to fail, you know that." Bradly scowled at the woman. "I don't care what they were, I'm not going to treat them different than any other mission just because they have the label of Spartan. They're still an ONI mistake like all the others."

"But these aren't the others. They are Spartans. How do we know that these aren't just Spartans that were hurt by some crazy Covenant weapon that did this and they're trying to find a way to keep other soldiers from being hurt like this," Marin reasoned. She stepped toward the terminal and grabbed Bradly's wrist. "We should talk about this."

"Bradly's right, we can't treat them different," Sarah said, cutting into the argument. "I'll admit I'm hesitating because it does say they're Spartans but we can't let that stop us. You remember the last time we stopped to talk about it? Those grunts nearly killed all of us with their grenades." Sarah remembered the plasma burns that a lot of them had received, and the only reason that she had managed to avoid burning was because of Bradly protecting her.

"We've wasted enough time. We know the Covenant is in this area and they could be on their way." Bradly turned back toward the terminal. Sarah quickly turned toward the doorway, thinking she'd seen a shimmer of an invisible elite. She raised her gun and Bradly looked to her. "What is it?"

"Thought I saw something." Sarah looked around the room, searching for any sign of an enemy having snuck in. She didn't see anything but it might be just standing still. You couldn't see the signs unless they moved.

"check it out. I'm going to finish this off." Bradly turned his attention back to the terminal and got back to work. Sarah and Marin moved through the room, heading toward the doorway, searching for any sign, any little shimmer.

Sarah had moved half way across the room when there was a shimmer behind her. She turned around and could see the signs of movements of a camouflaged elite. It was racing toward Lasky but there wasn't enough time. She could see from the flurry of motion that it was running. An energy sword snapped to life, she could see him lurch as the blade stabbed through his chest.

"Tom!" Sarah fired, her bullets hitting the elite and bouncing off the personal energy shield. Marin joined her in firing on the alien. It turned and ran toward Marin. The other woman tried to move away but eventually just turned and ran. Sarah rushed to Lasky, kneeling down beside him. His blood was pooling on the ground and he was trying to reach up to the terminal. She didn't want to leave him long enough to finish activating the toxin for the tanks.

"Sarah!" Marin shouted. Sarah turned toward her and could see the elite, camouflage fully deactivated, and charging at her with sword at the ready. Sarah's instincts kicked in and she raced toward the elite. She grabbed at the grenades on the elite's waist, grabbing one. A hand clamped around her neck and she was suddenly pulled away. The elite lifted her up and she struggled to breath. Sarah activated the grenade as the elite moved and suddenly its blade stabbed through her stomach.

Palmer cried out and sat up in bed. She was sweating and having trouble breathing in her panic. She moved out of bed quickly, ignoring her name being called, and moved to the bathroom. She leaned over the sink and coughed a few times, almost feeling as though she'd throw up. She stayed like that, panting, and she could feel the tears in her eyes. The pain of the memories was still fresh in her mind and she couldn't shake her guilt over what had happened on that mission.

She didn't hear him enter the bathroom but she felt his arm settle over her shoulder. She turned toward him and buried her face against his shoulder. She clutched at his chest, trying to sink into his warm skin. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her against his chest. Sarah let herself freely cry in his embrace, knowing that he wouldn't judge her for the moment of weakness. She felt comfortable enough with him to let him be the one person she'd let see these emotions.

She let him lead her from the bathroom and back to their bed. They lay down on the bed, Sarah curled up against him. He was holding her protectively, as though he could protect her from the bad memories. "Can you talk about it?" He knew full well that she couldn't always talk about the things in her dreams.

Sarah thought about it for a moment before deciding what she could tell him. "I was thinking about the time when I was stabbed through the stomach." She felt his hand move to the scar where the blade had entered her.

"The one where some of your team died?" Sarah nodded in response. "Sarah that wasn't your fault. It's all in the past and you can't change what happened."

Sarah didn't say anything, just stayed with her face against his chest. She couldn't tell him that it wasn't just Bradly's death she felt responsible for, or the injuries that had nearly killed Marin. She felt guilt for the two other lives she'd sacrificed that day. She couldn't tell him about that part, the thing that ate her up inside. She continued to cry until she was exhausted.

They lay in bed for some time until Sarah had calmed down. "The nightmares have returned," Tom muttered, holding her a bit tighter. She wasn't exactly happy with it either. Tomorrow he would be heading off on his latest assignment and she'd eventually be sent off somewhere to clean up some ONI mess. She didn't want him to leave, she knew what it was like to have the nightmares without him in her bed. She didn't want to go back to that. She thought back to her dream, the sight of Tom dying on the ground, unable to help him. She wasn't sure when Lasky had replaced Bradly but she understood what it meant.

Sarah pulled away from his chest for the first time since he'd come to her in the bathroom. She placed a hand on his cheek and guided him down to her, touching their lips together. Tom held her a bit back but relaxed and pulled her back to his body as he realized the kiss was a simple, gentle action. It wasn't the same forceful way she would usually kiss him after the nightmares. Not the same needy kiss that asked for him to replace the thoughts in her mind with the feel of his body. This kiss was gentle, calm, and short. She pulled away and let her head rest on his chest. "I love you, Tom."

Sarah could hear his hart beat faster at her words and she smiled. It was really the reaction she had expected from him. His arms tightened around her and she felt him rest his chin on her head. "I love you too, Sarah."


	4. Regulations

_Infinity_ was a mess after having crashed inside the shield world. The ship's AI was down because of the damage, and the reports Commander Palmer was getting showed that they were going to be stuck for a while. From what she'd heard they were being held in place by a gravity well, and they were prepping scouting teams to search for its location. Sarah was organizing the Spartans on the ship, but that was basically set. She had teams assigned to each section - surveying teams, scouting groups, and teams preparing for an assault on the gravity well when they found it.

She caught sight of a single man that was out of place among the crowd of Spartans. He was shorter than the Spartans, and was simply wearing a combat uniform. Sarah supposed he was just here to check out how things were running after the crash. She turned her attention back to the tablet with the assignments on it. She froze as she spotted a new name on one of the scouting teams. She cursed under her breath and moved through the crowd to the out-of-place man.

Sarah Palmer was not an easy person to miss. She wore white armor, contrary to the gray armor of most of the other Spartans; Spartans moved out of her way as she walked, and currently she had an annoyed aura around her that sent them out of the way twice as fast. The officer moved toward her as she neared, smiling at first at her approach but it became a slight frown as he realized she was irritated.  
"Spartan?" he asked, hesitant.

"You are not leaving this ship," she asserted in a low voice. She was ten inches taller than him, so she had to lean down so he could hear her. "Go back to the bridge."

"Sorry, but I'm assigned to one of the teams scouting for the gravity well. I'm getting onto that Pelican and heading out to search for it." He motioned to a nearby drop ship. "Don't worry, I'm armed." He patted the pistol at his side.

"I did not approve you heading out with the Spartans," Sarah pointed out. "I'm not letting you go out there with no intel on what kind of enemies there are, on a planet that just caused the UNSC's largest and most sophisticated ship to crash, and with Covenant troops in the area. That pistol isn't going to save you and you know it, _Commander_." She emphasized the last word to try to assert the chain of command.

"Well, _Spartan_ , I have clearance from the Captain to head out so I'm going. Why is there a problem? Don't you trust your Spartans to protect me?" That crossed a line for Sarah and she shot him a dirty look. The Commander sighed and leaned a bit closer to her. "I'll be fine, Sarah. It's not a big deal. Don't worry."

"Tom, we have no idea what's out there. You should be on the bridge, helping the Captain, not going into the field to play soldier." That annoyed Tom and he frowned at her, visibly unhappy. "Tom, I know you're an officer but that's not the same as a front line soldier. You are not capable of being on a scouting team and the Spartans will only have to protect you if something goes wrong. There's no reason to put yourself in danger."

Tom didn't reply right away. "No, we don't know all of what's out there, but we do know that the Master Chief is out there. I want to do my part to help him, and I feel useless on the bridge."

"You and your stupid obsession with that man," Sarah grumbled. She'd found out early on about the level of admiration and interest Tom had in the Spartan II. Sarah didn't understand it but she knew she couldn't stop him. Sarah let out an annoyed sigh and could see that Lasky was going to stand his ground, but was just trying to get her on his side. "Just worry about making sure the Spartans are sent to the right places, I'll find the gravity well so they know where to go."

Tom moved a bit toward her but stopped and moved back. She understood the gesture, that he wanted to reassure her in some way but any action might be taken the wrong way by the crowd of Spartans. It wasn't that they hid their relationship, but the both of them tried to remain professional in situations like this. She could see it on his face that he wasn't going to change his mind, no matter what she said. Even with her height and her strength. It was hard to intimidate a man who knew at home she had a stuffed penguin she cuddled with at night. Tom, seeing that she wasn't going to relent, turned and walked toward the Pelican. Sarah watched him to for a couple seconds before she grabbed an assault rifle and clipped it onto her back. Sarah moved onto the Pelican behind Tom. He looked to her as she moved to stand beside him. "What?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"What are you doing?" Lasky asked.

"Someone's going to have to watch your ass if you're planning on tossing yourself out in to combat for no good reason, right after we came out of cryo. I'll protect you, and the Spartans can protect me from being killed from protecting you." Tom opened his mouth to argue but Sarah turned away from him. "Shut up."

Silence settled for a few seconds before Lasky spoke. "Where's your helmet?" he asked, glancing over to her unhelmeted head.

"It's in the labs being upgraded. But that's a twenty minute trip and we don't have the time to waste." Sarah didn't look at him, staring out the back of the drop ship.

"Spartan regulations state that in a combat situation a soldier should keep their helmet on at all times," Lasky commented. "If a Spartan doesn't have a helmet they really shouldn't be in combat."

"Regulations also say an XO needs to be present on a ship in case the Captain is killed or becomes incapacitated." Sarah turned to look at the man beside her. "Unfortunately, the _Infinity_ has an XO that doesn't seem to recognize that regulation and is set on being stupid and putting himself in danger. So regulations are going to have to be broken to insure that he doesn't trip on a rock and break his skull open."

"I'm not made of glass," Tom complained as he took a seat. "I'm not going to shatter if a strong wind hits me." Sarah moved over to stand before him, causing him to have to bend his head back to be able to look at her face. "It's just a scouting mission, no danger."

Sarah bit back her instinctive response that every mission was dangerous. Even supply missions or humanitarian missions weren't really safe. She decided to go with the less threatening response. "If it's so safe I shouldn't need my helmet." Tom still looked displeased with her and it was starting to annoy her. "Don't give me that look, Tom. This isn't any normal situation. _Infinity_ was just pulled out of space by a shield world, crashed, some odd orb is hovering outside, and there are Covenant out there. You're being reckless and putting yourself in danger so don't you dare get mad at me for trying to protect you from yourself." Lasky frowned and crossed his arms. "Shut up," Sarah muttered.

Tom looked to the rear of the Pelican, checking to see if their team had arrived. "I'd just like for you to trust me as a soldier."

"I'd do that, if you weren't an officer. If you want to command _Infinity_ I'd back you, but this is not the same. We have no idea what the enemies down there are capable of, and if this thing gets shot down then who's going to carry your ass back to the med bay? It's not like there's only going to be a moment of combat and everything will be fine. Being shot down means a long walk back with a lot of danger. How well are you going to do with your condition? The fact is you're not a front line soldier, that's not where you belong; but I have a duty to be sure you don't get yourself killed because you can't accept that."

Tom's gaze fell to the floor, dejected. Sarah moved and sat down in the seat beside him. "You know well enough that everyone has a part to play, yours isn't a combat role."

"I just hate that you always have to protect me. I'm an adult, a man, and I can protect myself," Tom asserted.

"Upset that a woman has to protect you?" Sarah asked, but Tom didn't reply. "Is it really that big of a deal to you that I'm protecting you?"

"I just…" Lasky paused, rubbing the back of his neck, but stopping when he noticed the motion. "I just don't want you to think me weak, like I have to be protected. Is it too much to want to prove myself?"

Sarah had heard this before, and she'd never faulted Tom for it before. She had to guess it was hard to accept having a lover that was so much stronger physically and proved it regularly in combat. "I've never seen you as weak, Tom. Not all strength is physical." Sarah leaned to the side enough for her shoulder to touch his. "You have a condition that makes going into cryo difficult, but you still serve on a UNSC ship despite the pain it causes you."

Tom lifted his head from Sarah's shoulder armor. "You would do the same thing," he countered. Sarah really couldn't argue against that, because it was true. As long as she was able she'd continue to fight, no matter what pain it caused her. Not that she was going to admit that to Tom.

Sarah didn't have to reply as the marines and Spartans that were assigned to the mission entered the Pelican. They looked at her, hesitant, but didn't protest. Sarah settled in and waited for them to launch, hoping that Tom was right and that things wouldn't go wrong.

 


	5. Welcome aboard

Sarah Palmer looked around her new room aboard Infinity, assessing what she had. She didn't mind having her own quarters, but it was rather sparsely furnished. She had a bed, a footlocker, and a terminal, but that was about it. She moved over to the bed and sat down, not sure what to do with her time now. There was a knock on her door and Sarah cursed, sure it was one of the other Spartans or Jun coming to scold her for not asking permission to take her armor. She stood and moved to the door, surprised by the man on the other side. Commander Lasky stood tall in her doorway, hands clasped behind his back. He had an aura of confidence about him, and Sarah had to admit he was rather cute - with a sort of boyish charm to his features. Still, he was a higher in rank than her so she snapped to attention. "Commander."

"At ease, Spartan," Lasky said with an amused smile. There was something about the way he smiled that made Sarah want to smile as well.

Sarah relaxed and leaned against the frame of her doorway, crossing her arms. "What can I do for you, Commander?" She smiled a bit as she noticed that he had to look up to be able to speak to her and look her in the eye.

"I wanted to officially welcome you aboard Infinity and offer to take you on a tour." Despite having to look up, Lasky was still extremely confident. His gaze fell for just a second but it was obvious to her that he was looking her over.

"Are you offering a tour to anyone else?" Sarah asked, knowing the answer already.

"No one else made an impression like you," Lasky answered. Sarah smiled at the line, impressed with his charm and self-assurance. It wasn't smug confidence, but rather a sort of relaxed, innocent confidence. His smile was pleasant, but she could see that he was watching carefully for her response.

"Well, I could use a tour. And I suppose you know your way around a ship." Sarah stood up straight and stepped out of her room. Lasky's reaction felt slow to her, something she was still getting used to after the augmentations. He stepped back but there was a noticeable hesitation before he moved out of her personal space. "Where to first?"

"I'll show you around the local areas. Gym, lockers, cafeteria, places you haven't been told about, and the showers." Lasky smiled and it was becoming increasingly clear to Sarah that he was flirting with her. She didn’t expect him to be so open about it, but maybe he thought he was being more subtle.

Sarah flashed him a smirk of her own before she flirted back. "Don't even talk to me about showers. This thing is so tight I don't know how I'll ever get it off." Sarah ran her hands down her sides and she was pleased to see that he couldn't help but look. “It’s like a second skin, and the zipper on the back is so hard to get open.”

"Well if you need help later, I’m sure I could assist you in getting out of that body suit." Lasky let his eyes roam one last time before he started to move down the hallway. "How about we start with the closest facilities?" Sarah nodded and followed him. They made their way to the gym and stood in the doorway. "The Spartan area has special gyms with increased gravity to compensate for the enhanced strength of Spartans," Lasky explained. "It has almost every form of training equipment that you could desire, even a track for running."

Sarah stepped into the gym and she could feel the slight increase in gravity. She turned her back to Lasky as she moved over to a rack of weights and picked up a dumbbell. "I'm sure you don't use this gym often." Sarah chose another one of the weights and lifted it up, testing it. "Do you use the track though?"

"I do use it fairly regularly. I like to keep my cardio up," Lasky answered. "Do you jog?"

"Jogging isn't my preferred way to work out my heart." Sarah started to lift the weight, examining how it felt. She could tell that the increased gravity did indeed make up for her increased strength.

"Well I don't know any other cardio workouts other than running. Maybe you could teach me your preferred method." Lasky took a few steps closer while Sarah curled the weight. She could feel his eyes on her back, watching her muscles as she moved. "How about I show you to the cafeteria?" Sarah shrugged, set the weight down, and let Lasky lead her away. They made their way through the hallways, Lasky rattling off specs of the ship that seemed to fascinate him, but Sarah wasn't really interested. She did like hearing the way he talked about the specifications, though. He was obviously impressed with the ship and Sarah liked hearing the excitement in his voice.

The cafeteria was larger than Sarah had expected, but then again it was supposed to hold thousands of Spartans. There were staff members working, but there were far too few to be the full number of employees in the food department. Sarah wasn't looking forward to how noisy the room would be when it was full of Spartans. Maybe she'd be able to eat her meals in her quarters to avoid the annoyance. "Just wait a moment and I'll get us something to snack on while we tour." Sarah nodded and watched Lasky walk away, her eyes traveling to inappropriate places as she watched him.

"Hey, Palmer, what are you doing here?" Sarah looked to her side and spotted Spartan Davis, who was walking toward her.

"The Commander's giving me a tour of the ship," Sarah answered. Her gaze turned back to Lasky as he talked to one of the workers.

"A private, personal tour?" Davis asked as he stopped beside her. "Are you going to screw him? At the very least give him a kiss goodnight." Sarah glared at him but the other Spartan only smiled. "Come on, you know you want to. Bet he's fun in the sack, maybe into some freaky stuff."

"Shut up, Davis," Sarah snapped. She was having a fairly good time with Lasky, and this was relaxing after all the trouble she’d been through recently. The last thing she wanted was for Davis to ruin her fun. "Get out of here, the tour's fully booked."

"Don't want to share him?" Davis teased.

"Why, thinking of making a move on him? I don't think you're man enough for him," Sarah shot back.

"You're certainly man enough for him," the male Spartan countered.

"I'm more man than you are," Sarah retorted. "Now get going, before you're late for your manicure." Lasky started to move toward them and Sarah pushed Davis toward the door a bit.

"Fine, I'll let you get back to getting yourself some Navy-ass. Just remember, dogs belong at the foot of the bed, not under the covers with you," Davis said quietly.

"Idiot. Marines are called devil-dogs, Navy are squids." Sarah glanced toward Lasky who was moving between the tables. "Though I bet he would lay on a couch with me and put his head in my lap. And probably would only be cuter curled up on my bed." Davis held up his hands, relenting, and turned to walk away.

Lasky returned, glancing toward Davis as he walked out of the room. "Is everything all right?" The confusion was written on his face and he looked a bit worried. Lasky frowned in Davis’ direction, seeming displeased. “Was he giving you a hard time?”

“He’s just jealous that he’s not getting a tour,” Sarah assured him. “Let’s just continue, and don’t let his sour attitude ruin it. Did you manage to get anything to snack on?”

“I got…” Lasky reached into his pocket and pulled out a rectangle. “A chocolate bar.” He held it out to her, offering her the sweet.

“Why Commander, if I didn’t know any better I’d think you’re trying to seduce me.” Sarah took the bar and carefully unwrapped it.

“I thought the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach,” Lasky commented. “Didn’t know that applied to women too.”

“Let’s be honest, it’s not my heart you’re trying to get into,” Sarah countered. “Everyone knows that chocolate is the one weakness all women have.” She broke off a part of the bar and happily placed it on her tongue, letting it melt in her mouth. 

“For all you know, your heart is the only thing I want,” Lasky shot back. He paused for a moment and then motioned to one of the doors. “How about I show you how you’ll be getting around the ship.” Sarah nodded and Lasky lead her out of the cafeteria. They made their way to what looked like a rail station that stretched through the length of the ship. “This is the system we use to get around the ship quicker, as it is a long distance and a lot of people will be moving here and there. Keeps things neat.” Lasky stepped onto one of the rail cars and held his hand out to Sarah.

She ignored the hand, but still stepped onto the car. Lasky took a seat and she sat down beside him. “So this is how everyone is going to get around. But with so many people using it I’d think that walking would still be a better option.”

“Well for some it might be,” Lasky agreed. “But when you’re the second-in-command of the UNSC’s largest ship you have some privileges, like priority boarding on one of these things.” Lasky leaned a bit toward her. “It might help to also be associated with that second-in-command.”

“First chocolate and now you’re trying to bribe me with perks. You must really want me in your bed.” Sarah bit off another piece of the candy bar and sucked on it as she savored the treat.

“A woman like you, what man wouldn’t want her in their bed?” Lasky watched her as she ate, causally placing an arm over the back of the connected seats. “How about I point out things to you as we ride?” Lasky gave her descriptions of some of the other decks as they passed them by; pointing out the labs, the quarters for all the different kinds of troops Infinity would be housing, the vehicles in the hanger, and rattled off the weapons in the armory. “And that’s the open garden area,” he said as he pointed to a place that looked like it could have been actual land, not a section of plants on a spaceship. “Doesn’t serve any combat purpose…but if, say, a Spartan and an officer wanted to have secret meet ups where they wouldn’t likely be found, it could be useful.”

“Seems like a waste,” Sarah muttered, for a moment forgetting the man beside her. “Hope the rebels don’t see it or they’ll be pissed. War resources going to making a pretty garden, when refuges are still struggling to survive.”

“I don’t really know why we have it,” Lasky agreed, trying to pull her attention back to their conversation. Sarah looked to him and she could see he was concerned. “There’s also a large holochamber that the Spartans will be able to use to train. It’s not all a waste of money, just that stupid thing.” He motioned toward the garden.

Sarah felt bad for the turn the conversation had taken. They were having fun and here she’d brought down the mood. She leaned a bit toward his side and smiled as best she could. “I wonder what sort of things that a holochamber can do. I bet that if a certain officer really wanted to sweep a woman off her feet he could take her there, show her her heart’s desire, and she’d fall right into his arms.”

Lasky smiled, happy to be returning to lighter subject matters. “Some officers might need to use crutches like that when trying to sway a woman. I’d prefer to just be honest with her, maybe give her a bit of a treat to warm her up, show off a bit to get her attention, and then convince her to give me a try. After a night with me, I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to come warm my sheets.”

“You’re pretty sure of yourself,” Sarah observed with an amused smirk. Lasky seemed to have a wealth of confidence that never ran dry, a good quality in a man. “Do you have what it takes to back those words up?”

“Let me warm your bed and I’ll show you I do,” Lasky retorted. The rail came to a stop and he stood, smiling down at her. “This concludes our tour. If you’d like to tip your tour guide they take phone numbers, passionate kisses with plenty of tongue, or wild rolls in the sheets.”

Sarah stood and couldn’t help but laugh at his comment. “You must be an embarrassment to the other officers.” She shook her head as she walked off of the rail car with Lasky following her. “You should be glad that I’m the only one that heard that.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Lasky defended. “Sure not the most high class flirting but it was funny. Women always say they want a man with a sense of humor.”

“Well you do make me laugh,” Sarah admitted as she got control of her laughter. She stopped at her door and turned to the officer. “This was fun, we should do it again.”

“Like every time that you’re aboard Infinity?” Lasky suggested, the smile on his face twitching slightly, a tell she’d noticed already that gave away he was about to deliver a line he thought was good. “That is unless an important Spartan like you wouldn’t have time for a lowly officer like me.” 

“A lowly officer would be the lieutenant in charge of the waste management,” Sarah countered setting her hands on her hips. “You’re the XO of the UNSC’s largest ship. I think you’re important enough to demand the time of a simple Spartan like me.” 

“There’s nothing simple about you.” Lasky let his eyes drop and take in more of her body. “In fact I think you’re complicated enough I’ll have to spend a lot of time with you if I ever want to even start understanding you.” 

The smile on Sarah’s face fell a bit and Lasky must have noticed it as his own smile fell a bit as well. “You’re really cute, Lasky, but…” She trailed off, trying to figure how to word what she needed to say without hurting his feelings. 

“But I’m an officer,” he offered. “I’m not an ODST? Not a Spartan? Doughy?” 

“No,” Sarah cut in, not letting him continue to guess. “I like you, Lasky, you’re a good guy.” 

“And you’ve got a thing against good guys?” Lasky asked. 

“Oh Tommy my boy.” Sarah shook her head and let out a long sigh. “If I met you in a bar we’d have the night of our lives but we aren’t at a bar. And although I really like you, Lasky, and I do like flirting with you, we shouldn’t let this go beyond that. I have to consider how a fun night with you might look and impact not only the Spartan IVs but me.” 

Lasky put his hands up in surrender. “I can understand that. The Spartan IVs are new and you’re a woman who I’m sure has aspirations.” 

“Not really but I am a woman with four male teammates and a desire not to have my place on the Spartan program questioned because the Commander’s cute.”

“I’m sure they’ll be make enough excuses for you beating them in all the training exercises they don’t need an easy excuse for why the officers will prefer you.” Lasky put up his hands and slightly shrugged. “Sorry, hard not to flirt with such a wonderful woman.” He smiled and laughed lightly. “Sorry.” 

“Oh I’ll be damned if what they might say stop me from flirting with an attractive man. I just want to be sure you know that flirting is as far as it can go.” Sarah crossed her arms and leaned against the frame of her door. “So flirt away, Commander, but only flirt.” 

“Sounds reasonable enough to me,” Lasky said, his smile more relaxed. “Well I’ve taken enough of your time for one day, Spartan. I’ll let you get some rest.” Lasky nodded and turned to walk away. Sarah watched him leave for a couple seconds before she stepped back into her room to try to get comfortable.


	6. V-day 2017

Tom sat at the small desk in his quarters, reading over the daily event report when his door slid open. There had been no knock so he didn't have to guess who his guest was. "Another off-duty visit? Couldn't stay away even for a day," he joked as he marked his place in the document and shut off his compad.

"Very funny," Sarah muttered before dropping something onto his desk. "Almost as funny as that." She turned and moved toward the small couch not far away. Tom watched her while she had her back to him, enjoying the way that her casual clothing hugged her body. He returned his gaze to his desk as she turned and sat down.

"What's so bad about a flower?" Tom asked as he picked up the single red rose that Sarah had put on his desk. "You don't like my gift?"

"I appreciate the flower," Sarah answered, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against the couch cushions. "What I don't appreciate is the note you attached to it."

Tom stood up as he rotated the flower in his hand so he could read the small hand-written note that was tied to its stem. "Dear Sarah..." he read aloud.

"Do you know how many raised eyebrows that got me?" Sarah interjected. "Thomas and Scruggs both bitched about how they don’t get to call me by my first name."

"Well none of them share an apartment with you back on Earth," Tom pointed out. "They've never seen you in the nightgown you wear at home."

"Yes they have, and then some," Sarah corrected. "I sleep naked and they've all seen me in the showers."

Tom tried to push the thought of Palmer lying naked on a bed out of his mind as he moved toward the couch. He continued to read the note, looking to distract himself. "...Thanks for last night. Lasky." Tom shrugged as he sat down beside her. "I don't see what's wrong with that." Sarah gave him a look that said she wasn't amused. "My quarters are always open for you," Tom finished. "I'll admit, it's not really funny. It was supposed to be sincere."

"It's vague," Sarah asserted. "It makes it sound like we slept together and you're open to it happening again any time. Which would be fine with me if that was what you were saying; I wouldn't be upset if I'd spent last night doing you rather than your paperwork."

"I just wanted to express my gratitude for your help yesterday in getting me caught up with my work." Tom smiled as he placed his arm across the back of the couch. "Is it so bad to want you to know I appreciate you?"

"No. But I'd prefer it if it didn't come with the implication to others that we’re fraternizing when we aren't." Sarah let her head fall back, resting on his forearm. "I'd like to be able to enjoy the gift - not have to be defensive about receiving it."

"Well did you explain what I actually meant?" Tom asked.

"Yes, but that just ended with me telling them you're my ‘daddy’." Tom wasn't really sure how to react to that choice of words. "I think they got that I was joking, but still, they hold onto things like a dog does a bone."

"That isn't even close to your pet name for me," Tom said quietly, digesting the information. "And how is it that they would understand that you were joking about the ‘daddy’ comment, but take my note seriously?"

"It's because you're not like us-" Sarah began.

"I'm an officer," Tom finished for her. It was a phrase he'd heard plenty when Palmer was referencing the difference between him and the Spartans.

"You're a gentleman," Sarah corrected. "Sending a thank you note and flower to a woman you've banged is something they could see you doing."

"I would never do that," Tom asserted. "If I wanted to thank a woman for sex I'd do it in person."

"With plenty of tongue," Sarah added with a mischievous smirk.

"And maybe a couple fingers," Tom added casually. He got a rare, surprised look from Palmer that told him she wasn't sure how dirty his comment was intended to be. He decided to leave her wondering and instead lifted the rose he was still holding. "I didn't mean to cause trouble for you. I simply wanted to let you know that you're appreciated. That you're loved."

"Why Captain, are you saying you love me?" Sarah teased, calling Tom by her special pet name for him.

"Something like that," Tom admitted. He then removed his arm from the back of the couch and Sarah lifted her head to be out of his way. "How about we celebrate today the way that all singles celebrate Valentine’s Day?" he suggested as he moved over and pulled open one the drawer of his desk. Lasky took out a pair of drinking glasses and the bottle of scotch he had stored there. He set the cups on the small table in front of the couch and poured both of them half-full. After putting the bottle back on the tabletop, he picked up the two glasses before sitting down next to Palmer again. He held out one to Sarah and she took it, the corners of her lips quirked up in a smirk. "We're gonna get drunk."

"You do realize I can't get drunk, right?" Sarah asked, shaking her head slightly.

"Well then give that scotch here. I'm going to need all I can get." Tom motioned toward the glass she was still holding.

"Over my dead body," Sarah playfully snapped.

"How about over your naked body?" Tom suggested before he could really think it through. As soon as he said the quip he knew what her response was going to be.

"Deal," Sarah agreed.

Tom froze, not really sure what to do. In the past few months Sarah's flirting had turned from simple playful comments to open offers of physical intimacy. And she meant them. That wouldn't be much of a problem if Tom's own feelings toward her hadn't changed. He'd always been attracted to Sarah and had always considered giving into having a casual fling with her. But in the last half-year his initial, more primal attraction to her had become something deeper. Deep enough so that it made things complicated when she propositioned him.

He wanted to accept her suggestion, have his way with her on the couch or see exactly how sturdy his bed was…but he knew he couldn’t. He didn’t want to lose the genuine bond he and Sarah had cultivated, and he knew that one night of passion would run the risk of potentially ruining their friendship. It was a chance he wasn't willing to take.

Tom looked to his drink and then raised it a little. "A toast," he said. Sarah looked disappointed for a moment, but quickly put on a smile and nodded. "To us," he declared as he raised his glass.

"To us," Sarah affirmed, clinking her glass against his.


	7. Missed Memories

Tom entered his quarters, his movements weighted by another extended shift on the bridge. He would have stayed on the bridge, he wanted to be a strong Captain for them, but he couldn’t ignore that the lack of sleep was becoming visible. And today was particularly bad. 

Tom moved over to the desk he had near his bed and pulled open one of the drawers. He looked down at the items he’s stored there and he felt the weight of his worries join his exhaustion. At the bottom of the collection was a wrapped package that was his Christmas gift for Sarah. He’d bought it before the last time they’d left dock. Of course the last time they’d been to dock had been almost five months ago.

On top of the gift was a small box of chocolates that were wrapped in a white ribbon. What was originally going to be a party favor for Infinity’s New Years party. They’d been instead handed out to people when the holiday rolled around to try to lift spirits. Tom had kept the ones he’d been given so that he could share them with Sarah when she returned.

After it was a heart shaped box of chocolates that Tom had gotten nearly half a year ago from a special shop in France. They were his Valentine’s day gift for Sarah which he’d hoped would lead to a night of recounting some good memories and maybe reenacting some as well.

Tom shut the drawer again, trying to get some distance between himself and the missed memories. He sat down at the desk and considered pouring himself a finger of scotch. He decided against it as it was another of ‘their’ activities and drinking alone would only make him feel worse. He activated the terminal at his desk, hoping that some routine maintenance reports would ease his mind and make it easier to sleep.

As soon as the screen lit up he was met with a number of notifications of awaiting messages. He took a deep breath and started to look though the list of reports from not only Infinity but from FLEETCOM about Promethean activities. He paused though as there was one message out of place. He clicked on the name and immediately regretted it. He’d forgotten about the reporter that had come aboard Infinity last year for the newest issue of Intergalactic Post. They’d wanted to do a special story for their Women’s history month issue that centered around Palmer as the Spartan Commander on board Infinity. Sarah had been reluctant to really toot her own horn but Tom had no such qualms. He’d been more than happy to spout out how great of a leader and strong of a woman Sarah was with genuine enthusiasm.

Tom stared at the picture of Palmer in her under-suit, watching the screens that showed the war game action. She looked strong and focused and he felt a weight on his chest. He’d been fighting the growing concern and the edge of fear that plagued him while he lay alone in his bed. There was a real possibility that he would never give her the gifts in his desk drawer and that instead he’d be standing with the crew in dress uniforms while someone who could keep their composure gave a speech. There was a possibility that he would never see her smile at him again, ever touch him casually in a private moment, or ever glare at him as they butt heads over course of action to take on a mission. He wished he’d found some secret moment back before she’d left for Sanghelios to at least give her a quick peck on the cheek and tell her one last time that he loved her. Now that missed action may be an eternal regret.


	8. Domestic

Tom slid his closet open, examining what he had stored before he shoved a hand between two shirts and pushed them aside to make room for the six he was currently holding. He didn't care much for sorting laundry as there wasn't much variety in his wardrobe. Most of it could be split up into three different categories. His nice clothing (which Palmer mockingly called his "formal wear"), his causal clothing, and the free clothing he'd gotten from the UNSC. None of it seemed that it deserved the effort organizing would take.

"I'm throwing these away," Sarah announced, causing Tom to turn and look at her. She was standing beside their bed, holding up a pair of his underwear. "They have a giant hole." She pulled at the cloth near the waistband to show the gap in the fabric.

"They're still good," Tom argued as he moved over to join her beside the bed. "You can't throw out every pair that has a tiny hole in it." Sarah simply rolled her eyes and then tossed the offending garment into the trashcan beside their bedroom door. "At the rate you throw away my underwear I won't have any left." He reached into the basket of laundry on the mattress and started to help her in folding the rest of the clothes.

"Oh no. You've figured out my dastardly plot to slowly throw away all of your clothes until you have nothing left to wear and have to be naked all the time." Sarah put on a mocking frown. "Now I'm gonna have to start from square one on a whole new plan."

"Not even you want to see me naked that often," Tom said with a slight chuckle. He set the shirt he had folded to the side, along with the rest of Sarah's military shirts. She'd actually eliminated the need for any complicated sorting of her clothing by only having two categories: military and date night. It wasn't hard to tell the difference between the items she'd gotten from the UNSC and the short shorts and tight shirts she saved for when they were going out for a romantic evening.

"I suppose part of the allure is that you don't see it all constantly." Sarah grabbed a black skirt out of the basket and held it up to examine. "I forgot about this one."

Tom smiled as he looked at the skirt as well. "I love that one," he said with a mischievous smile. "Brings back some good memories." Sarah smiled as well as she seemed to recall the same memories as him. "That's definitely my favorite of your trumpet skirts."

"It's a dirndl skirt," Sarah corrected.

"Are you sure?" Tom asked, grinning at his own joke before he could even say it. "Because I remember my lips being very involved with that skirt the last time you wore it."

Sarah let out a loud and sincere laugh at the quip and she shook her head. After a moment she calmed herself enough to be able to speak. "Are you telling me you're leaving me to run away with my wardrobe?"

"It would never last," Tom said as he pulled out another shirt and started to fold it. "While you've got some beautiful clothes, they don't look half as good when they aren't on you."

"You're full of the cheese today," Sarah said with a light chuckle. She looked over to the basket and quickly folded the skirt in her hand before stacking it with the others. "I'm going to leave you to finish these, then go downstairs and get the sheets from the drier."

"All right," Tom agreed as he continued to fold the laundry. "Once I'm done with this I'll start lunch. Have you checked the bills?"

"No, but that's on the list of stuff for today," Sarah answered. "I'll get to it after I've sorted this all out. I can put my clothes away before I make the bed."

"Okay," Tom replied before Sarah left the room. He turned his attention back to the clothes that were left. Once he finished them off he gathered the items that were his and started to stow them in the drawers of his dresser. He had no system for the placement of the casual clothes that he stored there, not even separating pants from shirts. Sarah returned with a basket of sheets just as he was closing the last drawer. "What do you think of mac 'n cheese for lunch?" Tom asked as he put the laundry basket away in the closet.

"Do we have any hotdogs?" Sarah asked, her voice hopeful.

"No. But I have parmesan cheese which is almost as good," Tom answered. "We also have ice cream bars for an after-lunch snack," he added.

"Ice cream? Well now I'm sold," Sarah mocked playfully as she started storing her own clothes away in her drawers.

"I'll get started then." Tom slid the closet door closed and moved to exit the bedroom. He paused only for a moment as he passed Sarah to set a hand lightly on her waist and stretch up to place a kiss on her cheek before he left.

Tom moved out to the kitchen and went about making lunch. He put a pot of water to boil on the stove and got out the pasta and various cheeses he required. He switched on the small media player that he had set up in the kitchen for when he was cooking or baking and selected one of his preferred artists. He was pouring the pasta into the water when Sarah finally came out of their room. She sat down on the couch and became completely engrossed in her tablet. She went through their various bills and checked to see if their automated payments had been processed.

Tom stood in the kitchen and watched her for a few minutes, enjoying her look of concentration as she checked over the numbers. A dumb grin spread across his face as did so.

"Captain!" Roland shouted, startling Tom out of his sleep and causing him to slam his knee against the underside of his desk. He grabbed his leg and let out a curse in his pain. "Sorry," Roland apologized from the holo-tank beside Tom's desk.

Lasky rubbed his knee to ease the sting as he tried to shake off his drowsiness. "Roland, what is it?"

"You drifted off and your shift ended half-an-hour ago. I thought you'd get better sleep if you returned to your quarters." Roland's avatar folded its hands behind it's back and stood at attention. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's fine," Tom said, waving off the AI's concern. He would get over the pain in his knee, but what troubled him more was his dream. Tom took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  
"Is everything all right, Captain?" Roland asked.

"Yeah," Tom said. He slowly stood from his chair. "Just missing Commander Palmer is all." While Tom was wary of confiding too much in the AI, he didn't really have anyone else that he could be open with.

Roland's avatar shifted slightly. "You know the ship psychologist is open and offering to see people who want to talk through missing their loved ones. Considering the current...uncertain situation."

"I'm going to get some sleep," Lasky said, ignoring the suggestion. He moved out of his ready room and toward the tram station. He was either very lucky, or Roland had intervened, because there was a rail car waiting for him. He got inside and sat down in an empty seat and let his body go limp. There were a few maintenance workers sitting at the other end of the car deep in some sort of discussion, but Tom couldn't hear them over the hum of the rail system zipping through the ship. He wished Sarah were there. She'd have told him what they were discussing, giving him some insight into the events of the lives of his crew.

Tom cursed himself for reminiscing about the Spartan Commander again - and the ache he felt when he thought of her. He scowled as he realized that he needed to give some genuine consideration to Roland's proposal of seeing the ship's shrink. He needed someone to talk to about the things that were plaguing him, particularly if he wanted to keep himself focused.

The rail came to a stop and Tom disembarked, heading toward his quarters. He changed into sleep wear and, after quickly brushing his teeth, climbed into bed. He lay on his side, pulling the covers around him tight in an effort to make himself feel warmer. It didn't really help. He was all too aware the Spartan body he'd come to rely on to make up for the thin nature of his covers was missing. Tom let out a grumble and rolled onto his back. "Roland."

The holo-tank in Tom's room lit up with a dim orange glow, the AI opting for a small visual cue rather than his full avatar. "Yes, Captain?"

"Make me an appointment with the psychologist," Tom relented. He just hoped Sarah wouldn't mock him too much for it.

"Yes, Sir," Roland confirmed, his light fading completely.

Tom rolled back onto his side and tried to get as comfortable as he could as he settled in for at bit of sleep. With any luck, if Sarah visited his dreams again before his next shift his mind would at least find a more entertaining activity for them than folding laundry.


	9. Father's Day

Sarah hesitantly approached the kitchen table, the gift she had wrapped held against her chest. Her father sat in his usual seat, sipping his morning coffee as he read the news on his tablet. He glanced toward her for a moment as she approached him but didn't divert his attention away from whatever article he was reading. Sarah waited to see if he would acknowledge her presence again when she came to stand next to him, but before long she realized he wouldn’t.

“Happy Father’s Day,” she said as she held the package out to him.

Her father let out an annoyed breath before he set the tablet down and turned his attention to his daughter. He took the gift and Sarah stood there quietly, nervous to see what he thought. He removed the somewhat sloppy wrapping job and opened the small box inside. He stared at the object for a moment before he lifted up the black and green striped tie. Sarah fidgeted as she waited for his reaction.

“This won’t go with any of my dress shirts,” he finally said.

He put the tie back in the box and set it on the table before he returned to his reading. Sarah was crestfallen, but turned and left the room without a word. She was not willing to let her father see her disappointment. One of these years she’d figure out a gift that he would approve of.

~~~~~~

Sarah taped the controls beside the door, entering the code she’d memorized by heart years ago. The metal slid out of the way and she entered the Commander’s private quarters. Tom’s head shot up in surprise and he watched her approach him. “Sarah?” he asked, the tablet he’d been reading moments before forgotten.

Sarah reached down and pulled open a drawer of his desk, picking out two cups before she closed it. “Still working?” she asked as she turned and moved toward the couch to the side of the room.

“I prefer to keep my mind busy on this day,” Tom said, hesitating for a moment before he stood and came to meet her. He sat down on the cushion beside Sarah as she filled the cups from a plastic bottle. “Since when do you have scotch? You usually steal mine.”

“Oh, this isn’t mine,” Sarah said, setting the bottle down before passing one of the cups to Lasky. “It’s yours. Happy Father’s Day,” she said, picking up her own cup.

A small smile spread on Tom’s face. “I’m not your father, but I appreciate the gift all the same.” He turned his gaze to the bottle and his smile grew. “It’s even my favorite brand. Though you should really get yourself your own bottle so you can stop drinking mine.”

“And give up my excuse to spend time with you and seduce you? Like hell that’s gonna happen,” Sarah chuckled before taking a sip of her drink. She let the taste sit on her tongue for a moment. “Not half bad.”

“Uncultured,” Tom muttered under his breath before he sipped at his own drink. Sarah laughed at the jab but let it pass. “Thanks for this, Sarah.” His smile was sincere and warm.

“Tell me about your father,” Sarah blurted out before she could second guess the request. Tom turned away, suddenly finding the bottle on the table very interesting. Sarah wondered if she’d crossed a line and upset him. She was aware of how guarded he tended to be when it came to talking about his father.

Sarah was just about to try to change the subject when Tom spoke. “My mother always said he was charming. That he swept her off her feet in a whirlwind of romance.”

“That would explain where you get your natural charisma from,” Sarah commented, relieved that he wasn’t upset. Tom was a forgiving man, but she had been afraid she’d ruined the moment. He spent the next few hours telling her everything he knew about the man while she sat in silence and listened. Though what she cared about most was the smile on his face and that he’d liked her gift.


End file.
